In apparatus using endless moving conveyor belts for carrying articles from one location to another location, it is conventional to have the endless moving conveyor belt trained around spaced apart shafts and to have means for adjusting the location of at least one of the shafts to provide for the proper tension in the endless moving conveyor belt. Examples of such means is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,217,861; 3,237,754 and 4,930,621. While these means function as disclosed, it is necessary to readjust them to compensate for wear and other changes in the endless moving conveyor belt. Therefore, it has been desirable for some type of apparatus to maintain the proper tension in an endless moving conveyor belt particularly during the operation thereof. Also, it is desirable to provide shock absorbing means to absorb the torque placed on the endless moving conveyor belt during start up which torque can be as high as 350% greater than the running torque.